Crail Fish Bar & Cafe — Restaurant in Scotland

What usually brings me to Crail is the lobster shack. I have heard so many great reviews from Fife locals about the fish here so decided to finally give it a try. I have a couple go-to fish and chip shops so I am difficult to be swayed.

Well, this one didn't disappoint and now is added to my chippy rotation! The area it's hard to find a "bad" one but this place definitely pars up with the big dogs. 💪

Maybeee even teetering towards the top because I am a sucker for small family run businesses. 😉 I may be wrong, but it seems like a wholesome, family working establishment. Efficient and friendly where everyone knows their role in the processing of your order. They have a couple tables to dine in if needed. They accept card but always best to pay cash if you can, it is better for businesses. For those gluten-free, they offer it daily!

Now, the food. Just the perfect amount of salt was added. The haddock (2 pieces) had a nice golden color. Crisp with a good thickness. (See photo) Some places seem like they flatten the fish, butterfly etc. and too much batter. This was the perfect ratio. The chips were crunchy on the outside and still fluffy inside. Fresh peeled today, not bought in.

Only downside is- the onion rings are frozen. I did ask beforehand and was given honesty. It is so hard to find a chippy that does fresh because it can be a nuisance. The onions are drippy, resulting in more batter falling off in the fryers. So I can understand why. Even the most famous chippy does frozen too. 🤷‍♀️

Superseded my...

⚠️ Worst seaside chippy ever. 5 people behind the fryer, and still took over 20 mins to serve 3 suppers takeaway. Too many cooks? Old oil, overcooked fish which was mostly batter, frozen chicken, and the sausage (meant to be X2) was one cut in half. Very pricey too. Bringing shame to the entire East Neuk. Staff said it best when a customer noticed the gull waiting outside, "that's our best customer". I'll bet... famously gulls eat anything and usually what people throw away.

Edit: As expected, old oil as confirmed by the owner. If you took your car for an oil service, and they "filtered" your old oil and called it fresh, it's not going to pass mustard with your customers. Fish overcooked and went straight in the bin. Normal size sausages? For an Oompa Loompa maybe. I'll post a photo of said sausages so you can decide for yourself. Have already eaten chippies up and down the coast in many places. Some cheaper, some more expensive, but none as dire. I'm not surprised at the owner's overly defensive comments. There's a saying where I'm from... if you're incompetent, then the last thing you'll notice is your...

⭐ I've started the review with another star because this place deserves a 6th star!!! The fish and chips are excellent and easily worth kicking on an extra couple of miles from Anstruther to get. We went as a group (10 adults and 3 children) and each and every one of us had a delicious food experience without exception. In a group that size I'd have expected at least one person to find something to grump about but not a one. We wandered down from the shop towards the Watch House which has benches dotted around looking out over the river. On a hot sunny day, it couldn't have been a more pleasant meal with a beautiful view. Crail is a fantastic place to wander around and could be compared to Culross in historical terms but where Culross has The Red Lion, Crail has The Fish Bar and it makes the choice of travelling east or west from where we live a...